KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The Malaysian Cabinet today said it strongly condemned the murder of Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of Palestinian group Hamas, in Tehran, Iran and also expressed its solidarity with the people of Palestine.
In a brief statement by the Malaysian government's spokesman Fahmi Fadzil, the Cabinet also expressed its condolences towards the family of the former Palestinian prime minister and urged for an immediate investigation to ensure those responsible for his murder would be brought to justice.
He said the Malaysian government will continue to be vocal in voicing support and work with other countries in efforts to press for the people of Palestine's freedom from any form of cruelty.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also condemned the murder, which he said was designed to derail ongoing peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry similarly said the Malaysian government condemned the assassination and urged for an immediate and thorough investigation to ensure those responsible would be brought to justice. It said Malaysia also urged all parties to exercise restraint while facts surrounding the assassination are being established.
All mosques under the supervision of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) have also been instructed to organise absentee funeral prayers for Haniyeh's death.
Hamas announced earlier that Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike targeting his residence in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
